The sun shines bright in the old Kentucky home,
Tis summer, the people are gay;
The corn-top's ripe and the meadow's in the bloom
While the birds make music all the day.

The young folks roll on the little cabin floor
All merry, all happy and bright;
By 'n by hard times comes a knocking at the door
Then my old Kentucky home, Good-night!

Weep no more, my lady;
O, weep no more today!
We will sing one song for my old Kentucky home
For the old Kentucky home, far away.

— "My Old Kentucky Home," Stephen Foster
(audio file available here, by the University of Louisville Marching Band)

That's right, this just-completed past Saturday was Kentucky Derby day. The first Saturday in May is also known unofficially as "the two minutes and five seconds of the year in which Larry gives a shit about horse racing." This great song is a part of the tradition surrounding the Derby, and even though I'm not from Kentucky, I still have to say that "My Old Kentucky Home" is one of the most beautiful, emotion-evoking songs I have ever heard. Granted, I am a sucker for official state songs and university alma maters, but "My Old Kentucky Home" just has something to it that makes me appreciate it even more than most such tunes. That said, it would have been nice if I had bet on the race and correctly picked the top four horses; a correct guess on a $2.00 bet would have returned a cool $1.7 million, a new record payout. I could go for that kind of return on my money.

The Derby isn't the only thing drawing my attention to Louisville, either. I am parked a mere 25 miles north of there tonight, and will be going right through downtown tomorrow en route to Atlanta; additionally, by Monday, all necessary paperwork and money will have been taken care of with my car. All that will remain is that I'll have to get through the dealership to actually pick it up; they have agreed to hold it in their parking lot until I can get time off and get down to Louisville. Insurance is already taken care of — a reasonably cheap $450 for six months from Progressive — and I will get a temporary Kentucky tag and title certificate to give me enough time to obtain permanent ones in Michigan.